Louise Gray Goes “Derelict Chic” at Autumn 2013 London Fashion Week

Is derelict the new chic? Louise Gray certainly seems to think so. At her Autumn/Winter 2013 show at London Fashion Week on Monday, the British designer piled her looks with an odd melange of repurposed accessories: hairpieces composed of plastic grocery bags, brooches and rings whittled from rolls of toilet paper, flattened tinfoil baking trays worn as belts, even stacked duct-tape "bangles." The overall effect, according to the Daily Mail, was of "disheveled housewives who had been dragged through a hedge and back, picking up remnants from the garbage bin on the way."

SHABBY CHIC

“I’m into recycling—it’s a nice concept,” Gray told British Vogue after the show. The designer, who once described her ideal client as “someone who is fun,” was certainly in a playful mood. Emblazoned on a title card above the catwalk was a single, unapologetic motto, “Hey Crazy.”

Gray’s designs were equally exuberant, a madcap maelstrom of color, pattern, and texture.

Gray’s designs were equally exuberant, a madcap maelstrom of color, pattern, and texture. Loud and brassy as her pieces may be, beneath the swagger lurks an unmistakable dedication to craftsmanship. (Consider, if you will, the deftly quilted skirt-suit, the layered double-faced slip dress, or the neo-kimono jacket with tiny zipper darts at the waist.) “I’ve found a confidence in tailoring,” she said. “I really focused on it after looking to our customer and thinking about what she wants.”